Zach Elam’s Pin Seals Weekend Sweep For No. 7 Wrestling

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The No. 7-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team took down No. 11-ranked South Dakota State 21-19 on Sunday, Feb. 18. Mizzou (10-2, 6-1 Big 12) claimed their second win of the weekend while South Dakota State (12-4, 6-2 Big 12) took only their second conference loss of the season. 

Redshirt junior Noah Surtin opened the dual in a big way at 125 pounds with a 10-point first period en route to a 14-6 victory. At 141 pounds, redshirt sophomore Josh Edmond picked up his second win of the weekend by claiming a 3-2 victory. Brock Mauller continued his strong redshirt senior season with another ranked win, 4-1 at 157 pounds. The Tigers claimed three matches to lead 10-7 at the break.

Missouri’s returning National Champion Keegan O’Toole added to his Hodge Trophy resume with his fourth technical fall of the season at 165 pounds. Down 19-17, redshirt senior Zach Elam stepped up with the dual on the line, picking up a pin in 33 seconds to snatch the team victory.

Mizzou and SDSU split the dual with five matches each, with Tiger bonus points at 125, 165, and 285 making up the difference. Missouri capped off its weekend road trip with two dual victories whilst outscoring their opponents 53-25.

MATCH NOTES

• Mizzou now moves to 5-3 in dual meets against South Dakota State.
• With today’s victory, the Tigers have secured 10 wins or more in nine of the last 10 seasons. 
• Surtin has tallied five consecutive bonus-point wins, including three major decisions, one technical fall, and one pin.
• Edmond picked up his tenth win of the season at 141 pounds, making him the eighth Tiger starter to break double digits in the win column.
• Mauller earned the 115th win of his career, ranking 14th in program history. The redshirt senior is two wins away from passing Nick Marable (116). 
• O’Toole’s technical fall marks his fourth of the season and is the 13th match in which he has produced a bonus-point victory in 2023-24.
• Elam adds another dual-clinching win to his resume, this time via convincing fall. The redshirt senior sits at 20 wins on the season and eight falls, leading the team in both categories. 
• Tonight’s victory marks the Tiger’s first dual victory over South Dakota State since returning to the Big 12 Conference. The Jackrabbits previously held a 21-12 victory from the 2021-22 season.

UP NEXT

The Tigers will be back on the road on Feb. 23 to take on No. 17-ranked Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Mizzou will also take on Iowa State in Ames on Feb. 25. The UNI dual can be streamed live on FloWrestling.

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Full Results

Missouri 21 | South Dakota State 19

125 | (7) Noah Surtin over (14) Tanner Jordan by MD 14-6

133 | (14) Derrick Cardinal over Drew Stanfield by MD 14-5

141 | (22) Josh Edmond over Caleb Gross by Dec. 3-2

149 | (19) Alek Martin over Joel Mylin by Dec. 5-0

157 | (11) Brock Mauller over (16) Cael Swensen by Dec. 4-1

165 | (1) Keegan O’Toole over Connor Gaynor by TF 22-5 (5:21)

174 | (4) Cade DeVos over (10) Peyton Mooco by Dec. 5-0

184 | (12) Bennett Berge over Colton Hawks by Dec. 10-6

197 | (4) Tanner Sloan over (8) Rocky Elam by Fall (4:39)

285 | (4) Zach Elam over (30) Luke Rasmussen by Fall (0:33)

*Rankings according to NCAA Coaches Poll